Huntsville gazette., 1887-11-19

changed horses, began to think that
we would get through safely. Both
passengers got out to eat, and | no
ticed that the manner of the young
man | had ranked as a tenderfoot was
even more nervous than it had been
when we left Denver, and | sized him
up as being unfit for the country into
which he was going. We styaed at the
station about half an hour, and then
saw my two passengers safely inside
and climbed on the box. Just as | wcs
gathering up the lines old Banks came
out and told me he had seen man
drive by with led horse just before
dark, and / had better be careful not to
run over him. At this saw my tender
foot stick his head out of the window,
but he quickly pulled it in again and ]
drove on.
"Just as daylight was beginning to
appear above the top of the high
mountains l drove up to the last station
before reaching Leadville, and dis
mounted from the box with a sigh of
relief, as l felt that now all danger was
over. But when | put my head into
the stage door to arouse my passengers
I drew it back with a yell of surprise
and horror. In the dim light | could
plainly see that there was only one man
inside, and from his strange position |
knew something was wrong. When I
threw open the door | found the only
occupant Of the stage was the man who
was going to buy the mines. He was
stone dead and cold. His throat had
been cut from ear to ear. There was
po doubt that my tenderfoot was the
murderer, and after killing his fellow
traveller and securing his belt with the
money, he had crawled through the
rear window of the stage and dropped
off into the road. He had evidently
taken the journey with the sole pur-
pose of committing the murder and
taking the plunder. When we carried
the dead man into the station we found
Captain Rawlins, Of the Denver
mounted police force, and three
of his men, who were out hunting for
desperadoes. They Immediately gave
up all other business and started in
pursuit of the murderer. The result of
the hunt / heard from the captain him.
self Halfway between the two sta
tons he found by the roadside q place
where campfire had been built, and
where two horses had evidently been
tied to tree. By the side of the fire
was the murdered mans empty belt
For four days the captain and his three
nie:. followed the trail of the murderer
and his companion through the mount
aims. At last one night, just before
dark, they came upon the desperadoes
in q mountain gorge. Both men were
seated on the ground. Cautiously the
captain and his men crept up to the I'M
conscious ruffians. Each officer brought
his gun to bear on one of the men and
then Cuptain Rawlins called on them
to surrender. Without an instant's
hesitation each man grabbed his gun
and opened fire on the officers. AT the
first discharge from the officers the
man who had committed the murder
fell and a moment later his companion
lay stretched on the ground beside
him. On examining them Captain
Rawlins found that the Younger man,
who had been in the stage, was not
quite dead Toward morning the
young man revived sufficiently to talk.
He refused to give his name and it was
never known. He said, however, that
Amos " Townsend was the leader Of
the gang and had planned the murder
and commissioned him to execute it.
On the other man papers were found
which proved beyond question that
Townsend was, indeed, the villain
which the dying murderer said he was.
Captain Rawlins waited until his
prisoner died, and then fastened to
Denver to arrest Townsend. He found
the old murderer in his shop, and
quickly put him under arrest "
Here the old man stretched himself
and slowly descended from his seat.
But" said !, ''what became Of Town
send?" Captain Bill walked to the
stable door and threw it open. Said
he: stranger, you see that tree down
the street? Well, the night Townsend
was arrested a lot Of masked men took
him out of Jail without much trouble,
and the next morning he was found
hanging from that big limb there. lie
also had twenty-seven bullets in his
body"
nu+wittinp a Detective.